oOh!media has launched its inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), signifying a commitment to strengthen awareness of and relationships with First Nations people and drive meaningful reconciliation action across the business.
The Reflect RAP has been endorsed by Reconciliation Australia and was created in consultation with Two Point Co, a 100% Indigenous-owned consultancy that provided education workshops for oOh!’s board, executive leadership team and the RAP working group and guided the development of the RAP.
A comprehensive framework outlining deliverable actions, including increasing First Nations supplier diversity; improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recruitment, retention and professional development; and establishing and strengthening relationships with First Nations stakeholders and organisations, has been developed by oOh! with the RAP working group reporting too oOh!’s executive leadership team.
Cathy O’Connor, CEO, oOh! said: “oOh!’s Reflect RAP lays the foundations of our company’s commitment to listening and learning and in turn, gives us an even greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
“As the leader in Out of Home media, we operate over 35,000 advertising signs across the country, all of which sit on land that was never ceded. Formalising our reconciliation journey through a Reflect RAP is a vital first step in acknowledging the cultures, histories, the knowledge and insights of the people and communities on whose land we work.”
Karen Mundine, CEO of Reconciliation Australia said: “This Reflect RAP enables oOh!media to deepen its understanding of its sphere of influence and the unique contribution it can make to lead progress across the five dimensions of reconciliation: race relations; equality and equity; institutional integrity; unity; and historical acceptance. Reconciliation Australia welcomes oOh! to the RAP program and we look forward to following its reconciliation journey in the years to come.”
oOh! is already working towards reconciliation with initiatives such as a formal community partnership with the GO Foundation which was founded by Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin, and implementing cultural awareness training for all Australian employees.
To mark the Reflect RAP, oOh! commissioned emerging artist, GO Foundation alumni and Wiradjuri woman, Lua Pellegrini, to create a bespoke artwork reflecting oOh!’s purpose to make public spaces better.
In Pellegrini’s piece, the company’s commitment to connect people and our environment is represented with the colours and segments of the piece representing the vibrancy and diversity of Country across Australia and New Zealand.
The work includes six prominent concentric circles to reflect oOh!’s six offices across both countries and which are connected by beautiful waterways.
Art by Lua Pellegrini
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Top image: Neil Ackland, chief content, marketing and and creative officer, oOh!; Michael West, Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council; Cathy O’Connor, CEO, oOh! and Lua Pellegrini, artist and Wiradjuri woman